As part of the Learnosity Voice suite of langage learning applications, we have developed an Instant Messenger text-chat application, which provides powerful autonomous learning opportunities. The text-chat system allows students to be connected to another person using a web-based text chat interface. This can be any of the following:
- Match two students who are learning the same language. Students at the same level are matched. This is ideal for practice (with no tutor intervention needed), or with the moderation/ marking of a tutor who provides feedback to each student.
- Match two student learning different languages- say one native English speaker who is learning Chinese, and one native Chinese speaker who is learning English. The two can speak for a set time in both languages and “teach” each other. This would require little or no tutor intervention.
- Match a student with a tutor for a one-to-one text chat lesson. It would be possible for a tutor to maintain conversations with multiple students at the same time.
Features
- An optional pop-up link to a dictionary website is provided for students
- Whole application deployed in simple web application- students just require a browser with Flash
- As an alternative to the web interface, the application can be used with most instant messenger applications such as iChat, Adium, Google Talk, Fire, or Trillian Pro, as well as instant messenger applications on the iPhone, Blackberry, and Nokia phones
- Chat sessions are contolled by diary events, with an open and close time set with each session
- Multiple schools and classes can take part in chats
- Students are matched with someone from a different school and class by default
- If another student from a different school/ class is unavailable, students wait for a set number of minutes before defaulting to match with a student from their own school/ class.
- Tutors can invite other tutors to add their classes to the chat session
- Each chat session has stimulus attached. This can be a YouTube or Google Video, image (jpg, gif, png), audio (MP3), text, weblink, Google Map etc.
- Tutors can monitor all on-going conversations in realtime. This monitoring of conversations also covers:
- Clicking on one conversation enables tutors to see the whole transcript. They may then send a message to both students in the conversation
- End one or all conversations at one time
- View users in the queue waiting to be connected to another student
- Export pdfs of the transcript of one/ all conversations
- Provide feedback to students, two at a time
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